Electrical-impulse-transmitting device.



J. ERICKSON. ELECTRICAL IMPULSE TBANSMITTING DEVICE. APPLICATION run we. 23, 1906.

1,023,200. Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. ERIGKSON.

ELECTRICAL IMPULSE TRANSMITTING DEVICE. APPLICATION riLm m. 2a, 1906.

1,023,200. I Patented 11 1111111912.

s BEEET-SHEET 2. 7 ,F7. 8- H I \V -J.. ERIOKSONQ ELECTRICAL IMPULSE TRANSMITTING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED 11116.23, 1906.

1,023,200. Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

3 SHQQBTS-BHEET 3.

502%42655635 [fa/( m (60W:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.- JOHN niaicxson, or CHICAGO. LLInoIs. ASSIGNOB. in. MESNE ASSIGNMENTS. T 0 FIRST TRUSTIAND SAVINGS BANK. TRUSTEE. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL-IMPUISEQTRANSMITTING DEVICE.

My invention relates to automatic telephones, and more particularly to the rotatable dials or'callmg devices with which the subscribers are provided.

jln my priorapplication Serial] No.

- 331,304,.liledAugust th, 1906, I claimed 15 my invention broadly-,-\'vliile 'in'the present application I have made bot-h broad and spe- Icific claims forv the form of calling-device I hereinafter describedx In certain respects,

. therefore, my presentapplicatiou is subordinate to my said 'prio application.

1 As hereinafter describedland, as shown in 'the'f'drawinga-I provide the usual rotatable calling dial with a supplemental or controlling dial, iuhieh latter can rotate in a forward-direction but not in a baeluvard direction. With this arrangement both dials will rotatc in aforward;direction, and when the subscriber releases them only the. inner or regular calling dial will then rotate back to normal position.- This prevents any forcing or acceleration of the backward rotation of thccalling dial, inasmuch as the outside or supplementary dialis always positively locked against back rotation. As explained inmy said. prior application, an ar angement of this character insures the proper transmission of the electrical impulses for operating the switches at. the exchange or central station. 40

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a subscriber-s calling device embodying the principles of my invention. :Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the outer or supplementary dial. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailsectional view ofa portion of the two dials. Fig. 5' is a rear view of the center of the outer-or supplementary dial. Fig. 6 is a face view of the central portion of the inner or calling dial. Fig. 7 is a face=view of the hub or end portion ofthe shatter arbor upon which the two .dials are mounted. Fig. 8 shows the mechanism of the calling device with the dial and-front of disk. is at rest.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 16, 1912.

Application filed- August 23, 1906. Serial No. 331,700.

the casing removed. Fig. 9 is .a rear elevation of the-mechanism. Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing the toothed wheelor member bywhich thejsprings are pressed for transmitting the impulses. Figs. ll to 16, inclusive, show differentpositions of the springs and the said toothed wheeh'. and show how the impulses are t ansmitted, in the we'll-known manner.

The inner rotatable dial A is of the usual form or pattern and has its central portion a. non-rotatablyengaged with'the outer end B of the shaft C..,This' rotatable dial is ided' with, ten, finger opcnv are t) and-wltlrairaddlf ytlulltll' linger opening forjlong distance calling. The usnalfstationary linger stop I) is provided for limiting the 1 forward rotation oi the dialqj The supplementary or outer dial or rotatable. disk l6 is axially alined with the said inner disk. both disks being secured to theshaft by a screw or bolt F. The said u )plementary or outer disk or calling dial provided with a circular row of finger openings,whereby the finger openings in the inner orcalling disk are always in alinement. with a correspoinling number of openings in the outer disk or dial. In addition the saidzoiller disk or that E is provided with an inner circular row of openings, as shown .in Fig. 1, whereby the numerals-1 to 0, and the indication for long distance, are always exposed when the outer ripheral flange provided with teeth 0 adapt- In other words, these nued to be lockingly engaged by a hook-shaped dog or pawl e, whichflatter is pivoted to the f nine or support a". A spring e engages the said dog and keeps the same 111 engagementwith the periphery of the saidouter disk or dial 'E. ment the said. outer 'disk or dial. can rotate in a forward or clockwise direction, but cannot' rot-ateixi a backward or counterclockwise direction. This is for the reason that the dog e will allow the teethre to pass in'a forward direction, but will catch and hold the disk E against rotation in a reverse di 'rection.

Itwill be understood that a spring G is employed for returning the shaft and inner calling disk ,tonornial position. As in all \Vit-h this arrange-.

. devices of this character, the said shaft isadapted to operate the electrical impulse transmitting mechanism within the telephone, so as to transmit the impulses for operating theautomatic switches at the exchange or central station. With this arrangemenl the inner rotatable calling dial A is secured rigidly to the said shaft, while the said outer-or additional dial, is adapted to turn upon said shaft. In this way the calling subscriber can inserta finger through the coincident finger openings ofthe two disks or dials, and can then rotate both of the dials or disks in a 'forward direction, the two rotating in unison until the subscribers finger strikes the stop D. When this occurs it will be seen that the dials cannot be forced back to their normal positions, because the outer dial can only rotate in a forward direction, and such being the case no backward rotation of the inner dial can be eiiected manuallyr The calling subscriber can only release both dials when his.

finger strikes .the stop D, thus allowing the outerdial or disk to coine to rest, and per mitting the inner dial to rotate back to normal position: It will beunderstood thatthe electrical impulses are transmitted during and that ordinarily it must not thus rotate thisreturn or backrotation ofthe'inne'r dial,

i too fast, as then the electrical impulses will not be properly transmitted. In other words, the arrangement thus provided insures a free andtnatural return of the dial to its normal osition, under the influence of the spring and this motion cannot be forcedor accelerated. In this way correct and proper useof :the subscribers calling device s always insured.

Figs 8 to 16, inclusive, illustrate the wellknown form of subscribers calling mechanism, in connection with which I have elected ent. invention, no further description isnecessa'r 'It will -be seen that. the spring which returns the dial and impulse wheel to,'their normal positions is not opposed or retarded by the means by-which forcing or undue acceleration of .the d-iali'sprecluded. 'The outer dial serves as a guard for the inner or numeral-bearing dial, and is locked against rotation in one direction. The inner or regular dial can rotate in both directions,

in the usual 'mannera It will be seen that the outer dial or wheel only in one direction.

stoppage and interruption which previously" very often occurred whena subscriber carelessly left his hand on the rotary dial after itstarted back to normal. For this reason it is notpossible'for the person operating the mechanism to stop the said impulse wheel, or to interrupt the transmission of impulses, after the said wheel has once started to return to normal position.- In

other words, when the person using the mechanism once disengages or releases the dial, the mechanism will then continue in operation, and cannot be stopped until it reaches'the end of its operation.- What I mean by this isthat the 'arrangementtends to protect the mechanism 'agalnstthis sortof thing, as after once releasing-theinner dial A it would be difficult for the'user of the mechanism to then stop it or -interrupt it while returning to its' normal position.

When the o erator once-1 withdraws" the fingerfrom t e two dials, then the mechanism proceeds to transmit the. required impulses, andithe person so using the ,mechanism is -notlikely to accidentallyor deliberately attempt to stop. the impulse wheel before it reaches its normal position. Thus, .as I say, the outer dial. or apertured wheel constitutes a means for preventing stoppage or interruption of the return motion of the impulse wheel. I

It will be seen that the outer dial-that is, the dial having the endless series of L1 iiger-holesis always rotated forward from the position where it was left at rest after. the. previous call. Furtliermn'e, the dial thus rotatable only in one direction is provided with finger-holes each of which is common to-all the numeralsthat is to say, each hole may serve for different numerals, as in the course of several .calls it may pass from one numeral to another. Thus provision is made for changing the relation between the holes of the said dial'and'the numerals, and with the arrangement shown only a portion of the said series ofholes' is serving as numer'al holes at any onetime. In other words,-

a portion of the said endless series of fingerholes is always out of service.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. In automatic telephony, the combination of means for transmitting electrical impulses, and. means including a plurality of rotatable 'callingdials for operating said means, one of said dials being rotatable 2. In automatic telephony, the combination of means for transmitting electrical impulses, a calling dial for operating said means, and an outer supplemental dial,eacl1 dial being rotatable in a forward direction, but only the inner or calling dial being ro-. tatable back to normal posit-ion to transmit the electrical impulses.

3. In automatic telephony, the combination of means for transmitting electrical impulses, an inner calling dial, a spring for returning said calling dial to normal position, an outer or supplemental dial, said dials rotatable together in a forward direc-,

tion, and a locking device for holding the outer or supplemental dial against backward rotation.

4. In automatic telephony, the combination of a shaft, a spring for rotating the shaft back to normal position, a callingdial secured to said shaft, provided with-a series of finger openings rangin from 1 to '0, an outer or supplemental diaI loosely mounted upon the said shaft, provided with a circular row of finger openings, and also with circular row of numeral openings, the finger openings of the inner or calling dial always being opposite a corresponding number of finger openings in the outer or sup- (3.. In automatic telephony, a subsoribers calling device comprising a plurality of rotatable dials or apertured disks arranged one in front of the other, and means for preveiiting back rotation of the outer dial or dis 7 7 In a telephone system, a rotatable calling dial, a guard disposed in front of the dial to prevent forcing or undue accelera- -tion of the same, and meansfor locking the guard against movement with the dial in one direction.

8. In a telephone system, a rotatable calling dial, a rotatable guard disposed-in front of said dial to prevent forcing or undue acceleration of the same, and means for preeluding rotation of said guard-in one direction.

9. A subscribers calling mechanism com-" prising impulse-transmitting devices, a rotary dial therefor having an endless series of holes, a member having numerals each of which is always opposite-one of said holes when the dial is at rest, and means for preventing backward rotation of the dial.

- 10. A subscribers calling mechanism comprising impulse springs, means for operating said springs, said means including a dial rotatable in one direction, provided with an endless series of holes and numerals for said holes, and means for preventing rotation of the dial in the other direction. I

11 A subscribers calling mechanism comprising impulse springs, means for operating said springs, said means including a dial having an. endless series of numeral holes, rotatable for calling purposes from the advanced position where it was left at rest after the previous call, and means for preventing said dial from rotating in abackward direction.

12. A subscribers calling mechanism comprising impulse springs, means for operating said springs, said means including a dial having an endless series of holes, numerals for said holes, and means by which said holes are movable relative to the numerals,

'so that each hole is common to all numerals.

13. A subscribers calling mechanism comprising impulse springs, means for operating said springs, said means including a dial having an endless series of holes, numerals for said holes, and means for changing the relation between said holes and the numerals.

Signed by me at. Chicago, Cook county,

Illinois, this 18th day of August, 1906.-

. r J OHNERICKSON.

Witnesses EDWARD D. FALES, Annxaxnrn E. KEITH. 

